Taking A Few Steps Towards El Nido

View from Marina Garden Beachfront Inn

Day 0 - 26 November 2015

So it begins. Our long wait was over. Rewind to June 2015 - we have booked our round trip ticket to Puerto Princesa for 2,011php per person. I know this is beyond cheap but then, not bad for a round trip fare. We were a group of 6 people, particularly my office mates.

Our flight was at 10:00 AM, 26 November 2015. According to blogs, November is the start of the peak season in El Nido. Expecting fully-booked accommodations, we have checked several resorts and inns in the island and Marina Garden Beachfront Inn. We booked 2 standard rooms with aircon directly with them for 3,250php per night. This includes 1 double bed and 1 single bed with a bathroom and complimentary daily breakfast for each person.

As expected, we had a delayed flight with Cebu Pacific. We arrived at Puerto Princesa around 12:00 noon. Just outside the airport, we were welcomed by Kuya Rey, the driver of the van transport that was referred to us by our office mate. But I DO NOT recommend him because we sought help from him on getting tours arranged for us and it did not went well. Anyway, we stopped by Robinson's Mall to have our lunch and buy some groceries since there is a limited supply in El Nido. I suggest that you buy your stuffs in the city especially if your have a private transportation because some items can be present in the island but it can be expensive.

After eating, we started our 5-6 hour trip towards El Nido. The road was like leading to Baguio -full of zigzags and some sharp curves. I tell you now, those people who have weak stomachs must bring their anti-"biyahilo" medicines and some handy plastics just in case. On our trip, we had two stopovers where you can pee and buy something to eat.

Sunset in Taytay, one of Palawan's municipality

We have arrived in El Nido after 6 hours. We went off the van just near our resort since the road was quite small for plenty of vehicles. Also, it's better to walk around to be familiarized with what's around. Well, the town center was small enough that you can walk and explore around. It has a lot of accommodations and food establishments scattered everywhere. It felt like I was walking in Boracay's main road it's just that El Nido had a lot of side streets and it's more peaceful.

Marina Garden Beachfront Inn was located in front of the PNP station so you have the assurance of additional security during your stay. Check-in was smooth and the resort staff were very friendly. We dropped our bags and rested for a few minutes before having dinner. The room was very good and had a home-like feel. I say that you won't expect that the rooms are good unless you see it in the inside.

Gateway to the beach

The resort has a lot of rooms to offer with it's not-so-big property. You can check their website at http://www.mgelnido.com for more information.

Flat screen TV with cable

We decided to buy pork barbecue and isaws for our dinner at a nearby eatery. They several selections for grilled food that are only 10php per stick. My dinner was only 50php for 3 barbecues and 2 cups of rice. Awesome, yeah? Happy tummy plus happy pocket!

We dozed off to sleep early this night for we'll be meeting Mark, our contact for our tours, as early as 8am. So good night for now!

Dumaguete: Visiting the City of the Gentle People

Day 4, 14 July 2015

We are bound to go back to Dumaguete at 1:00 PM for our fourth day. We woke up around 7:00 AM to make room for eating breakfast, to fix our things and to roam around the resort for the last time (huhuhu!). Kuya Dennis picked us up at the resort around 12:00 NN for we wanted to take some pictures in front of the "Welcome to Siquijor" signage. 

Then we arrived at the port of around 1:00 PM. We bought our tickets on that same time since there are only a few passengers that day. If my memory serves me right, the tickets costs around 80-100php. We boarded the ferry that is bound to Cebu that is only passing by Dumaguete. 

One fine day for our trip

Inside the ferry

The trip was comfortable since it has air-conditioning and the seats are just fine though not that spacious for big peeps. If you have a big luggage you may ask the staff to have it placed on the compartment with the other bags. However, since we only have our big backpacks we put our bags in some of the empty seats near us. We got to Dumaguete just before 3:00 PM with our starving stomachs. Again, cared off Levin (thanks to him!), we have our place to stay which also fetched us from the port. We checked-in at the Bethel Guest House which was one of the nicest hotels around the city. It's located in front of the Rizal Boulevard which is well known for it view-like of the Roxas Boulevard in Manila. This hotel has it's beautiful view of the sunrise so make sure to have your room facing the boulevard. For more information, you may visit their website at http://www.bethelguesthouse.com/.

Bethel Guest House facade

After a little bit of relaxing, we headed out to have our merienda for it is already around 4:00 PM. We tried the well-known Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries which is just a walking distance from Bethel. From the outside, the place looks like a house converted into a restaurant. Their designs were really good that makes many tourists be curious and dine.

Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries' interior

Their famous Silvanas

As I have mentioned earlier, this place very famous because of their pastries especially their Sansrival Cake and Silvanas. I remembered my bestfriend telling me that she misses the Silvanas and Sansrival. Now I know why cause it's so damn good! It was like the Silvanas was melting inside my mouth. Hahaha. So if you haven't tried it yet, it's a must when you go to Dumaguete. 

What I ordered for "merienda"; Chicken Teriyaki

They also offer a lot of varieties in their menu. From the affordable meals, pastries and drinks at the counter to the expensive ones. So if you are a budget traveler, you may want to check out their available viands at the counter that only costs from 50php to less than 100php. Once you order, they will serve it on your table so you can relax while waiting for the food.

After our merienda, we decided to enjoy the rest of the afternoon by just relaxing inside our hotel rooms. By 9:00 PM, we decided to eat our dinner at Hayahay. It also located along the boulevard which is also known for the good food. When we got to Hayahay, there was a duo singing at the first floor and so it was pretty full that time. We headed to the second floor that has ample space for us. That night, our dinner was cared of Dreb. Yey! It was a cool place to hang-out since the staff were friendly, they have affordable set of menus and because of the ambiance. However, our food went out after 45 minutes of waiting. Maybe that the only thing that they can improve on. Anyway, we really enjoyed the food!

Dinner time!

We got back to Bethel after eating which was a tricycle away that costs 10php per person. Well, that's about it for our fourth day on our Visayas Trip. See you on my next post!

Siquijor: Our Discovery About The Mystical Island

13 July 2015, Day 3

We started our day with our breakfast at Coco Grove, included in the package of our stay. This is a plated meal with a choice of rice or bread, bacon, tocino, tapa, fresh fruits, coffee or hot chocolate and juices. The food they serve are good as well as the staff for they are very accommodating and nice.

Kuya Dennis, our Tour Guide/Driver of the day, picked us up at the resort around 9am to start our tour.

Here's our itinerary for the day:

- Century Old Balete Tree
- Lazi Church
- Cambugahay Falls
- Salagdoong Beach
- Sta. Maria Church
- Cang-Isok House
- Triad Coffee Shop

While we were on our way to the Century Old Balete Tree, Kuya Dennis was telling us facts about the island. He was born at Siquijor and was able to work in Manila but decided to go back to his hometown due to an accident that turned his life around. Going back, Kuya Dennis said that Siquijor was discovered by the Spaniards during their colony was here in the Philippines. They called it as Isla De Fuego, "Island of Fire", because that time the island was like in fire due to the fireflies that wander at night. Too bad these fireflies already flew away to the mountains today.

Once we arrived at the Century Old Balete Tree, we paid 5php per person for their environment fee, I guess. Because there are no entrance fees for this, the money collected will be for the maintenance of the area. For that, you may sit all day to enjoy their Fish Spa. Yes, you heard it right. All day! Hahaha. It was my first time to actually having a fish eat my dead skin. I can say that I was frightened especially of the big fishes I was able to enjoy it in the end. Haha!

If ever you get hungry here, they have a small store in the area. My friends bought fresh bukos around 35php I guess and a pack of bread. Moving on, our next stop was the Lazi Church or the San Isidro Labrador Parish which is known for the oldest church in Siquijor. The church was made of corals and hard wood and up to today, it still stands strong and beautiful in its own way. 

Lazi Church's facade

Lazi Convent

The Lazi Convent is located in front of the church which was considered to be one of the largest built during the colonial times.

Off to our next stop was the Cambugahay Falls. Before reaching the fall itself, we have to go down several steps as you can see at the photo below. Each group are required to have a tour guide to go down with them. You can give your guide any amount that you have which is sort of a donation to maintain the falls.

Upon reaching the falls itself, I so surprised on how beautiful and clean the area was. It was like a hiddne paradise waiting to be discovered.

Our friends immediately took off their clothes and have their swimming attire on. There is a rope used to make your jump more exciting and fun which are usually shown in the movies. So each one of us tried to jump the farthest that we can. It was really full of fun and it seemed like I went back to being a child again. :)

The sun was up and happily greeting us during this time. To freshen up, you may buy fresh bukos which also around 35php I think. If you have your things with you, there is a wide seat where you can drop and leave your stuff. As for your valuables, you may bring a small bag and put it all inside then you cover it with your towel or shirt if you'll go swimming. 

We were so famished after our swim at the falls. Our lunch is going to be at the Salagdoong Beach Resort which is owned by the local government. According to Kuya Dennis, the resort got its name from Salag which means a nest and Do-ong which was a known type of bird in Siquijor. On our way to the resort, we have to pass by a man-made forest where Mahogany trees are planted and cultivated. These trees are said to be abundant way before but its number decreases due to some reasons. 

Upon entering the resort, we were asked to pay an entrance fee of 20php (as far as I can remember). But since we are going to order food, our entrance fee was waived. Parking space is not a problem as well as picnic tables. Tables are scattered around the resort but I am not sure if you have to pay for it. There is also one restaurant which caters affordable meals and drinks. 

While waiting for our food, groufie!

I was happy that this resort was managed by the local government because you can enjoy the view and do some activities for a minimal cost. After eating, we went to explore the place. It's a pretty small place compared to some resorts. If you're going during off season and during weekdays, I bet you can have this place for yourselves. 

According to Levin, there's not much to see in terms of marine life in Salagdoong. But for me, I was stunned on how beautiful and serene the beach is as you can see on the pictures. These views and the place made me not want to leave anymore.

The resort has it's small cliff that they also developed to have a bridge from the restaurant area. This will lead you then to a slide which is no longer used and the two level for cliff diving. The first level was like 10 feet high while the second level was about more than 20 feet high. Once you're at the resort, you may enjoy jumping off the cliff as many times as you want. There are no guides or life guards when we visited so I am not sure if there are really any. So jump at your own risk!

At the second level of cliff diving

Too bad we needed to say goodbye after our mini exploration on these place. Our next stop was at the Sta. Maria Church which was known for the Black Maria. According to the urban legends, the statue of Sta. Rita wanders at nighttime and some locals saw a track of muddy footsteps going to the spot where the statue was standing as proof. Well, the place is not that creepy at all. Though I don't know this story yet when we visited the church. Haha!

The church is simple with its cemented flooring and walls that have several windows which made us see the interiors clearly. 

After Sta. Maria Church, we passed by the Cang-Isok House which was known to be the oldest standing house in the island. Remember my post about the Baha Bar? This is the exact piece where they got their design. Today, it still stands near the main highway and you'll be able to pass by it when you're touring around the island.

Our last stop for our tour was the Triad Coffee Shop. It is located on top of Larena where you can see a 360 degrees view of Siquijor. The some parts of the road towards the coffee shop are steep but our van conquered it smoothly. It is best to visit Triad for sunset and coffee! You can order drinks from coffee-based to fruit shakes and juices while you are enjoying the view. There is also a function hall here and during the time that we visited, they were preparing for some event. 

You may bring your own binoculars too, just like Levin here. Haha

The platform

Well, that was our day tour on Siquijor. Indeed, this island has a lot to offer and are waiting to be discovered. Too bad, many of us are afraid to visit this beautiful island because of its myths and legends. Let us be adventurers and I guarantee you, this is going to be one of your best trips in the Philippines!

Should you need someone to tour you around, you can contact Kuya Dennis at 0905-178 0092. He actually works with a friend for their travel agency. He offers his day tour with a new van for around 2,000php when we had our vacation. I am just not definite if he still offers the same price so go and call him!